Chinese Fish & Dragon Festival 2018

This year, the Chinese Fish & Dragon Festival hosted by The Chinese Association Of Barbados was held at the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium.
Usually it is held at Church Village Green in the city but this year the Agrofest 2018 festival which was being held next door in Queen's Park made it impossible for the festival to be held there....crowd pull, parking logistics etc.
Hence the Gymnasium venue, which in all honesty may not have been the ideal alternative.
The hours for the event were also changed which meant it became an evening festival.
Saturday being my jaunt day, I decided to have an evening jaunt instead.
I took care of my chores early in the day and then headed out to have a relaxing evening.
This year (2018) The Fish and Dragon Festival was honouring The Year of The Dog.

The Gymnasium is a big facility but with such a large crowd, the gym felt small. 
Still just enough room to wander around and grab a few hasty photos from the various displays.

 Toys for the kids.

 They were also several books being distributed to the kids.

 The Tea Station

After wandering around for a little while, I purchased some eats (chicken wontons and fishcakes for you know who), and then found a comfortable seat to await the beginning of the show.
During the wait I watched several fast-paced table tennis and road tennis exhibition games on the court below.
Soon it was time for the show to start.

The Tuk Band and Mother Sally descending into the crowd to perform.

The MC's for the evening.

Chinese and Barbadian interpreters for the crowd of mixed cultures.

The Shaggy Dragons

Chinese Shaggy Dragons Perform the New Year dance for good luck. 

Dragons doing their thing.

The Musicians

The character in the foreground holds a broom to sweep away all the bad luck of the old year.

Martial Arts display by the kids.

Martial Arts displays by the adults.

The Tianjin Arts Troupe

The ladies performed their dance routines with precision whirling their beautiful fans accompanied by the musicians playing the flutes.

The Juggling Hats troupe.

These guys were fantastic as they juggled their hats with expertise.

I know this must have taken dedication to train to perform like this.  The way they had those hats flying through the air at all angles and heights....and never dropped even one....a enthralling act from start to finish.

These jugglers were my favourite act of the evening.

Musician playing the flute.

This performer had the crowd gasping as he juggled and balanced two large and heavy pots with gravity defying precision.

Another of my favourite acts.

All the while I was thinking, I hope he doesn't let those beautiful Chinese pots fall because I could use them to pot some indoor plants for my home and that would be a waste.

Another of my favourite acts.

This beautiful lady sang Chinese songs from the heart.

These cute little stuffed dogs were thrown into the crowds as gifts to honour the Year of the Dog.

All in all, it was a nice evening.
After speaking with a few of my friends who also attended the festival, they too expressed that they preferred the open air spaces of the Village Green.
The outdoor ambience and the wider expanse of displays allows the crowd to be more dispersed.
I hope that next year it will return to its original venue.
Happy Chinese New Year to all!!